The Guardian Lotus
by TRikiD
Summary: Accompanying the new heir, is a guardian that makes ne'er, of the evil and rot that threatens life, to ensure that the innocent can strife. The powerful protector that walks among us, goes by the name of the Guardian Lotus.
1. Chapter 1 - Get Him Out of Your Mouth!

The Guardian Lotus

Chapter 1 - Get Him Out of Your Mouth!

 _Accompanying the new heir_

 _Is a guardian that makes ne'er_

 _Of the evil and rot that threatens life_

 _To ensure that the innocent can strife_

 _The powerful protector that walks among us_

 _Goes by the name of the Guardian Lotus_

Ever since Queen Tara's powers of the forest were passed down to the new queen, Marigold, life in the forest has remained very peaceful. With Mandrake gone, and the Boggans have run off with no leader to lead them, evil and rot just seemed to disappear quite as easily.

Little did the innocent plant and animal inhabitants of the woods know that the peace would not last for much longer; though, for now, they never took the quiet for granted.

"Ew! Mub, get him out of your mouth!" MK scolded on the other side of the transmission, but Mub didn't listen as he clamped his mouth shut with poor Nod halfway down his gullet. And if MK knew Mub, he wasn't going to let him go any time soon.

Eventually, MK and her father, Radcliffe, and they arrived at the specific camera to pry Nod from Mub's mouth.

"Aw, c'mon, baby! I wasn't actually gonna eat 'm, or anything!" Mub whined, disappointed that he was being held by his crush's dad instead of her; and even worse, MK was holding Nod, his rival.

"He's lying!" Nod snapped, "By the way, you REALLY gotta brush your teeth man! When's the last time you even brushed?!"

"Dunno…what year is it again?" Mub joked, earning a good chuckle out of the others; all except Nod, who was still disgusted and wiping sticky slug saliva from his upper half.

"Mub, seriously, you gotta move on. I mean, we're still friends, but there are plenty fish in the sea," MK pointed out.

"Why would I want any other fish when I got a perfectly delicious fillet right here?" Mub asked sarcastically while pointing at MK, making her roll her eyes.

"Oh, c'mon! That the best you can do?"

"Better than you could ever be, Leafboy!"

"LeafMAN!"

But as much as Mub hated to admit it, he wasn't stupid enough not to notice that MK clearly had the hots for Nod…he just wanted to try to be better than him to change her mind. And even though MK has already implied multiple times that she wasn't into him, Mub still wouldn't give up.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Mub headed back to Moonhaven, where he normally waited for Grub after he finished work as a new Leafman.

"What's got you so down?" a familiar voice came, and Mub didn't even bother to look up since he knew it was Grub, who was concerned since he was usually much more perky, but the snail was sulking against the pedestal the blooming pod.

"I think I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life," Mub groaned in defeat, slamming his forehead against the edge of the pedestal, sending ripples through the water in which the pod was floating. But an idea then flew into his head, and he turned to Grub with a hopeful smile.

"Hey, Grub? You think we could-?"

"Mub, you're my best friend, and I love you—but not like THAT," Grub interrupted with a sneer.

"Eh, can't blame a guy for tryin'," Mub sighed, trying to smile and brush it off, but he soon went back to frowning and pouting.

"Look, there's always something for everyone, Mub. For me, it's my love of being a Leafman. Whether or not it's a living thing, I'm sure you'll find someone or something to love," Grub reassured while patting his friend's shoulder.

"How do you know?" Mub asked in disbelief.

"It's like Nim Galuu says: Some things you just know."

Grub was honestly just saying that to make Mug feel better, but he had no idea how right he was; though, he also didn't know exactly how he was right.

That doesn't make any sense? Ok, let me put it this way.

* * *

That night, Radcliffe and MK were making their way back home, the sun had already set because they had wasted too much time observing other Leafmen and wildlife.

"So, tell me, what was the queen like again, MK?" Radcliffe inquired with excitement.

"Which one? Tara or Marigold?" MK questioned with a smirk.

"Either one!"

"Well…I didn't really know Tara…since she died right after she shrank me, but during the little time I saw her pass down her powers to Marigold, who I also kinda didn't get to talk to much…I just knew she was nice. She is a kid after all, so I can kinda relate ta her."

MK waited a few awkward moments before she realized she wasn't getting a response out of her father, and she looked to find him focusing intensely on something in the distance.

"Dad, what…what are you-?" MK tried to ask while following his gaze, but she saw nothing, and Radcliffe even cut her off.

"Do you see that, MK?"

"No, I don't. I've learned not to disbelieve in something just because I couldn't see it, but what are you seeing that I'm not?"

"C'mon, you'll see!" With that, Radcliffe grabbed his daughter's hand, and dragged her through the woods, barely giving her enough reaction time to keep from tripping. But luckily, MK was able to catch herself each time she tripped, but her dad never loosened his grip.

It wasn't long before Radcliffe finally stopped in a small and lush grove with a little stream running through, and he immediately dropped to his hands and knees.

"Dad, what are you-?" But before MK could finish her sentence, she found herself at a loss for words when she saw the faint yellow glow that her dad was now staring at. So, the teenager quickly got down beside Radcliffe, and she couldn't believe what she saw.

"Is…that…a…?"

"Look at her! Sh-she's so little, and fragile, and soft, and…" Radcliffe rambled on as he gently scooped up the small creature illuminating the yellow glow, "…so soft."

"Soft?" MK asked with a cocked brow, following her dad in leaning back up and sitting on her knees.

"Yeah, just look! Her skin's made of lotus petals!"

* * *

 **Ooh, what did Radcliffe and MK find? And is she important?**

 **(Spoiler alert: yes)**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


	2. Chapter 2 - She's the Guardian Lotus

Chapter 2 - She's the Guardian Lotus

MK and Radcliffe brought the creature they had discovered back home as quick as they could, for she wasn't in very good condition. She was shaking and weak, and her soft skin was shriveling and turning brown.

"Go get that pot in the bathroom, MK!" Radcliffe ordered while gently setting the creature under a lamp after clearing one of the cluttered desks.

"The one with the dead plant?" MK asked.

"Yes, now go!" MK quickly ran to the bathroom, and she grabbed the old orange flower pot with a mystery plant that had shriveled and died a while ago, and she ran back out to bring it to her dad.

"Good, good, good! Thank you, MK!" Radcliffe muttered when MK brought him the pot, and he pulled out the dead plant and dug a small hole in the soil, which was somehow still fresh after all this time.

After he made sure the soil was soft enough, he scooped up the creature in his hands again, and he gently set her in the hole.

"Dad, are you sure it's a-?"

"Yes, I'm sure, and I'm just as excited as you! To think, there have been so many stories and depictions of dragons, and we have such a unique specimen right here!"

Radcliffe was true to his words; the creature he and his daughter found out in the forest was an actual, living draconic creature. It was barely bigger than Radcliffe's hand, with skin exactly as he explained, that of soft lotus flower petals; each white and faint pink at the tips; two green vines ran down from her head and stretched to her shoulders; a pair of large and leafy white wings were placed on her back, and her long tail was tipped with a tiny flawless white lotus blossom.

"But…this doesn't make any sense. We've never seen anything like this before, and the Leafmen never mentioned anything about dragons," MK pondered in confusion aloud.

"I know! Isn't it amazing! We've discovered something that not even our forest dwelling friends know about!" Radcliffe cheered, giddily bouncing in his seat.

"But what's wrong with her?" Radcliffe immediately stopped bouncing, and he adjusted his glasses and remembered the poor little dragon's violent shaking.

"I-I have no idea! I wish I knew so I knew exactly how ta help, but all I can think of is warmth and soil."

Suddenly, both little monitors on MK and Radcliffe's belts started going haywire with the alarms while rapidly flashing bright red.

"Take care of it. I'll tend to her," Radcliffe informed, and Mk nodded before dashing to the computer room and sitting at her usual seat. As soon as she turned off the alarm on her belt and switched on her computer, she was instantly greeted with a paranoid Nod.

"Nod? What's wrong? The alarms are going completely in-."

"It's bad, MK!"

"What's wrong?"

"It's the pod!"

"The one we took to Moonhaven?"

"IT'S GONE!" Mub shouted hysterically while grabbing the camera and turning it towards him, and he started bawling in front of it.

"Gone?" MK gasped.

"Yeah! It just disappeared!" Nod added.

"How?!" MK demanded.

* * *

 **Earlier that day…**

"It's like Nim Galuu says: some things you just know." Mub just slowly turned and stared at Grub blankly because of how cheesy he sounded. He once again sighed and rolled his eyes, plopping his head on the edge of the pedestal, and he unwillingly stared at the open lotus blossom that was once a closed little pod.

Its pink and white petals were still in bloom ever since the Summer Solstice, and even when not hit by the sun or moonlight, the blossom always seemed to glow with a positive aurora.

Mub couldn't help but smile meekly at the blossom, as he reached a stubby hand out to it and petted it like it was a little kitten; it might as well have been just as cute and fragile as one.

"Well…I don't LOVE this thing…but it does make me smile," Mub slowly and awkwardly admitted, refusing to look at Grub.

"Ha-ha! See? That's a great way to start!" Grub cheered and lightly punched his slug friend's shoulder, which he didn't like much and he turned and glared at him. But when he looked away to glare at his snail friend, Grub's smile quickly faded and his eyes went wide.

"Mub, are you doing that?" Grub asked almost too quickly for Mub to comprehend.

"Like what?" Mub questioned while following Grub's gaze, and when he saw that he was looking at the blossom he was touching, his expression soon matched Grub's.

The lotus blossom was beginning to glow brighter, brighter than ever before, and the aura around it turned bright yellow like the sun; it even started growing bigger at an alarming rate, and Mub quickly removed his hand when the blossom started forming into completely different shape.

But before the surrounding Leafman, who were alerted first of the situation, could come to the blossom's aid, the aura suddenly formed into a ball and blasted them back with a powerful gust.

When the wind finally declined enough for everyone to pick themselves back up, they all looked to the center of the room, where the lotus blossom originally floated in its respected pool of clean water…and it was gone.

"The blossom…it's…" a random Leafman began in, but couldn't find his voice from all of the shock.

"GONE!" Grub shouted at the top of his lungs, and his voice echoed out of Moonhaven and out into the forest, even scaring a flock of birds out of their tree.

"What. Have I done?" Mub asked slowly and almost emotionlessly, paranoid that he might have been the reason the flower might have just disappeared forever…or worse.

* * *

 **Present…**

"Wait a minute…" MK muttered in wonder after Mub and Nod finished telling the story of the lotus blossom's disappearance, "the blossom…the petals…the petals! Dad?!"

"Yeah, MK?!"

"What's her skin made of again?!"

"Lotus blossom petals!"

"The dragon," MK breathed under her breath.

"The what?" Nod and Mub questioned in unison on the other end of the transmission.

"Guys, we're coming to Moonhaven! And Mub?"

"Yeah, baby girl?"

"You and Grub be ready when we get there!" With that, MK bounded of the her chair.

"Ready fer what?" Mub asked, but MK never came back to computer as she quickly approached her dad.

"We're going to Moonhaven?" Radcliffe asked with excitement.

"Yes, and we gotta bring her with us!" MK quickly replied while picking up the pot, careful not too shake it too much to disturb the little dragon curled up inside.

* * *

Even though it was still nighttime, MK and Radcliffe made their way to Moonhaven quite quickly in the dark, and they made sure they had the speed-deducing lenses on their helmets down when they arrived. Queen Marigold, Ronin, Nod, Mub and Grub, and many other Leafman were already waiting on the outside.

"What is that?" Ronin demanded after MK set down the flower pot, and he jumped up onto the edge to find the unconscious dragon-like creature inside. And as soon as he realized what he was really looking upon, his face filled with shock and amazement.

"It's you."

"Who?" Nod quickly questioned.

"You two!" Ronin suddenly snapped while whipping around and pointing a firm index finger down at Mub and Grub, who both jumped upon raising his voice, "Get up here and get her inside! Whatever you do, don't let her go and keep her moist!"

Immediately, the snail and slug climbed up the side of the flower pot and down into the soil, lifting the petal-covered dragon; she wasn't that heavy, she was also barely even bigger than Mub. They quickly carried her out of the pot, but it got to the point where Mub suddenly ripped her from Grub's grasp and effortlessly carried her bridal style.

"Hey, he said not to let go!" Grub whined, not wanting to look weak in front of Ronin.

"Calm down, Macho Leafman! I got 'er!" Mub argued while picking up the pace and constantly keeping the dragon out of reach.

"What are you going to do?" MK asked Ronin.

"And what is she?" Radcliffe added.

"She's vital to all forest life—she's the Guardian Lotus," Ronin replied firmly.

Eventually, Ronin explained everything to MK and Radcliffe and told them they've helped enough. After convincing them to go home for the night, he walked back in with Queen Marigold and approached Mub, who was still holding the dragon in his arms with Grub watching over them.

"How is she?" Ronin inquired while getting down on one knee to observe the dragon closely.

"She hasn't said anything, she just quivers," Grub informed as Queen Marigold suddenly raised a hand to the dragon's forehead, and she gently caressed it. But upon her touch, a light yellow glow emitted between the queen's hand and the dragon's forehead, and she responded by groaning and leaning into her hand.

"Good, she's connected," Ronin sighed with relief while standing back up.

"Connected? You mean to me?" the young queen asked with excitement.

"Yes. She's your guardian."

"I have a dragon guardian?! Awesome!"

"It's not just awesome, it's important. Tara wasn't around to explain the Guardian Lotus to you, Your Majesty."

"Yeah, you keep mentioning this 'Guardian Lotus' thing, so would you mind finally telling us what it is?" Nod questioned impatiently.

"The Guardian Lotus, like the new king or queen, is borne of the chosen pod; Tara told me that she inherited one half of the forest's magic from the pod while HER Guardian Lotus inherited the other. Each work together to protect the life of the forest, but the soul purpose of the Guardian Lotus is to ensure the king or queen's survival."

* * *

 **Honestly, I imagine the dragon to look very similar to the Plant Dragon from the game Dragonvale, just with four legs instead of two, and she looks more like a lotus blossom. Just thought I'd point that out in case you were having trouble picturing her.**

 **Until the next chapter, I'm TRikiD, bye-bye!**


End file.
